Foreign-backed militants operating inside Syria have kidnapped 12 nuns from a convent in the Christian town of Ma’loula.

According to local authorities on Tuesday, the militants took the nuns to the nearby town of Yabrud after they stormed the convent on Monday.

There is no word on the fate of the nuns, but militants are usually known to kill people they kidnap.

The militants fighting against the Syrian government had attacked Ma’loula, which is regarded as a symbol of the ancient Christian presence in Syria, early in September and captured some parts of it. However, they were pushed out of the town by the Syrian troops.

The Syrian army has been battling the foreign-sponsored militants in the regions near the capital Damascus.

The army has cleared many towns and villages of the foreign-sponsored militants.

Sources close to the militants have admitted that government forces have been making significant gains near Damascus and others parts of the country.

Syria has been gripped by deadly unrest since 2011. According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies — especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Turkey — are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.

According to the United Nations, more than 100,000 people have been killed and millions displaced in the violence.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has announced that the number of Syrian refugees, who have fled to neighboring countries, has passed the three-million mark.

Furthermore, the UN recently warned against the humanitarian situation in Syria, saying that over nine million people are in need of urgent aid due to the crisis in the Middle Eastern country.